Pastor Victor Dogos who resides in N’djamena, Chad received the Michael J. Sharp Global Peacemaker Award conferred to him by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). He is said to be the first recipient of the prestigious Award.

Dogos’ Work in Peacebuilding

In 2022 API conducted a Learning Pod covering the course, Foundations for Christian Peacebuilding. Victor was one of the coordinators from Chad for this course. Alongside Chad we had Nigeria and South Sudan as the participating countries.

In Chad, Victor works collaboratively with Catholics, Muslims, Protestants and tribal leaders
in encouraging people of all religions to live together in peace. National and community
leaders call on him to resolve violent conflicts and intervene in situations that have the potential for
bloodshed.

He uses his training in Christian theology, law, communication and peacebuilding to mediate and teach
men and women on how to resolve conflicts. He has negotiated with the government and the military.
for the release of innocent civilians and has worked with government security forces to help them
see the long-term effectiveness of peace over violence.

‘Pastor Dogos is from a Muslim background but converted to Christianity. Against this background, he would not be easily accepted as a mediator, facilitator or bridge builder between Muslims and Christians in Chad, a country suffering from armed conflicts in the northern part. It required creativity, courage and peace leadership skills on his side, to successfully build bridges between these two faith communities in conflict.’

This is according to Dr. Mulanda Jimmy Juma

Conclusion

Dogos is one of the many heroes that are promoting Peace Work in the African continent. For more information on his award as well his work read this article on the MCC Website.